The Miles Davis century: The definition, and evolution, of cool

Miles Davis was a trumpeter, bandleader, and composer whose career embodied multiple, sometimes paradoxical, identities. He began during the rise of bebop, developing his style through Charlie Parker, then moved toward a less frenetic modern jazz approach. Birth of the Cool shaped a chamberlike sensibility, while Kind of Blue became a defining cultural touchstone and a best-selling jazz album. In the 1960s, he streamlined and intensified small-group modern jazz, then in the 1970s ruptured its framework with funk rhythms and psychedelic effects. Bitches Brew marked a major turning point toward jazz-rock and other fusions, leaving a lasting influence on innovation and reinvention.

"Miles would go on to streamline and supercharge small-group modern jazz in the 1960s, and then rupture its framework with funk rhythms and psychedelic effects in the '70s. His post-Woodstock album Bitches Brew is another landmark, and it served as a hinge, swinging the door open to an era of jazz-rock and other fusions."

"For many artists, that would be enough. For Davis, you could just chalk it up to his "Blue Period" borrowing a term from the career of Pablo Picasso, one of the few other 20th century artists so compelled toward self-reinvention. Miles Davis represents more than one set of coordinates."

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